1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a rifle comprising a stock with a housing provided with a housing sheath and a barrel, the barrel having a barrel sleeve adapted to be removably received by the housing sheath of the stock housing, said housing sheath being provided with a slot extending longitudinally along said housing sheath, said housing sheath comprising means for varying the slot width in the region of the slot.
Experts use the term “takedown rifle” when speaking of a rifle the barrel of which is detachable from the stock. Such type rifles, the barrel of which may be separated from the stock, are particularly suited for use when a rifle must be transported or when the barrel is wished to be interchangeable.
2. Description of the Prior Art
In a prior art takedown rifle (SAUER 202), the barrel is clampingly received by the housing sheath of the stock housing. For this purpose the housing has a lengthwise slotted sheath-like projection which is provided with clamping screws in the region of the slot. Said clamping screws serve to vary the width of the slot so that the barrel may be clampingly fastened in the slotted sheath-like projection of the housing. The disadvantage of this rifle is that after each assembly the barrel adopts another position relative to the stock so that the aiming situation is a different one after each assembly as a result thereof. This is substantially due to the fact that the barrel of the rifle is oriented relative to the stock in function of the tightening torque of the various clamping screws.
DE 198 15 261 C2 describes a rifle that can disassemble into three parts and the barrel of which is fastened to the stock through the forearm. Beneath the stock housing, the stock is thereby provided with a groove that opens toward the front side of the stock. A corresponding nose of the barrel is insertable into said groove. The groove is closed by the front side of the forearm so that the barrel is fastened to the stock through the forearm. The forearm is fastened to the stock by way of a dovetail guide that is oriented normal to the longitudinal axis of the barrel on the front side between forearm and stock. In order to prevent the forearm from unintentionally detaching from the stock there is provided a locking device in the form of a movable pin, the movement of the forearm relative to the stock being blocked by said pin. The movable pin communicates with a lever provided on the forearm, the pin being capable of being snapped into engagement with the stock or of being disengaged from this position of engagement through said lever.
It is not necessary to lock the barrel to the stock during firing since, in the repeated condition, the barrel is connected with form-positive fit to the housing and, as a result thereof, to the stock, through the chamber body. Accordingly, the barrel needs only be fastened to the stock through the forearm in the non-repeated condition i.e., during repetition because during repetition there is a risk that the chamber body or the cartridge inserted in the chamber pulls the barrel forward and out.
This known rifle is characterized inter alia in that it offers the same aiming situation at each shot regardless of how often it has been assembled and disassembled. The reason therefore is that the barrel is not clamped to the housing of the stock as it is the case with prior art rifles in which the barrel is clampingly fixed through the screws to the housing of the stock.
However, to lock the forearm to the stock is a quite complicated operation. A rifle is known (DE 102 05 503), which is comprised of a stock, a forearm and a barrel, the barrel being also releasably connectable to the stock. A locking device is provided for locking the forearm to the stock. The locking device more specifically comprises a rod with a piston disposed on the end thereof, said rod extending through the forearm. The piston is lodged in a bore of the stock and is spring-loaded. Circumferentially spaced locking members which are configured as balls are located on the piston. A forearm bushing, which has circumferentially spaced openings for the balls, projects into the bore of the stock. A tangentially oriented groove is located in the bore of the stock, in the same plane as the bushing openings. The piston causes the balls to enter the openings in the bushing, said balls concurrently projecting into the circumferential groove. The piston and the balls thus provide a form-positive fit between the forearm with the barrel and the stock.